Motorola invented the first truly mobile cellular phone, but it was Martin Cooper, general manager of Motorola’s Communications Systems Division, who made the first cellular phone call.

"People are mobile," said Cooper. "Given the choice, people will demand the freedom to communicate wherever they are, unfettered by the infamous copper wire. We vividly demonstrated that freedom back in 1973. In a time when there were no cordless or cellular phones, normally blasé New Yorkers gaped at the sight of me making a phone call while strolling down Lexington Avenue."

Martin made his call from a , which only allowed 60 minutes of voice calls before the battery went flat, while to charge the phone, it would take 10 hours in the first charger available. The price of the phone was almost US$4000